Victor husband, wife charged in hit-and-run at Woodside

Ravalli Republic (Hamilton, MT)

Jan. 28--A husband and wife from Victor were charged Monday with felonies relating to a hit-and-run crash in the Woodside area that left a man seriously injured.

Jeromey Don Benton and Abigail Yvonne Benton, both 41, appeared before Ravalli County Justice Jim Bailey. The judge set bail at $5,000 each.

Both were charged with felony counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and obstructing justice.

Jeremey Benton also faces misdemeanor counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, being a Montana resident operating with a foreign driver's license over 60 days, operating without liability insurance, operating a vehicle that has not been properly registered, and failure to use due care when a pedestrian is seen on a roadway.

According to a charging affidavit, Montana Highway Patrol troopers investigating the hit-and-run discovered the couple had put their car in a storage unit following the incident.

The investigation began after a trooper dispatched to just north of the Woodside Crossing on U.S. Highway 93 at about 10:30 p.m. Jan. 18.

The trooper spoke to the brother of the 25-year-old victim. He said the two were crossing the road when his brother was struck by a southbound silver passenger car. He saw his brother get hit and fly through the air. The victim suffered a compound fracture on his lower left leg, a deep cut to his forehead and other injuries to his arms and chest.

The man told the trooper he had not heard the sound of tires skidding at the time of the accident. There were no brake lights as it traveled south, according to the affidavit.

While photographing the scene, the trooper found his first clue.

It was a plastic, silver-colored mirror housing, which appeared to belong to the passenger side of a vehicle, near where the victim was struck. He later determined it belonged to either a Grand Am or Grand Prix.

After releasing a request for information to media outlets, the Montana Highway Patrol received tips that Jeromey Benton had allegedly told two people he hit either a person or a deer near Woodside Crossing on Jan. 18.

A trooper went to the Benton residence in Victor and spoke to his brother, Christopher Benton, as well as to Abigail Benton. Abigail said her husband had just left in a silver Pontiac Grand Prix, but didn't know where he was going. Christopher Benton told the trooper he had traded the car and a boat to Jeromey Benton for a red Corvette. He said he had taken the plates off the Grand Prix and put them on the Corvette.

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On Jan. 23, the trooper who initially investigated the accident met with the couple. He recognized Abigail Benton from Town Pump, where she was working when he went to view camera footage. He asked the woman why she didn't tell them at the time that her husband was the man they were seeking.

The affidavit said Abigail Benton told the trooper "she didn't put two and two together."

She also told the trooper she hadn't seen the Pontiac in several days because her husband had left with a friend and she didn't know where he was.

At that moment, the affidavit said, Jeromey Benton came out of another house on the property.

He told the trooper he had sold the car to a lady named "Sadie" in Missoula and had no idea how to get in touch with her. Benton also said he had struck a deer near Bell Crossing 10 days earlier.

Two days later, the trooper met with the owner of Bitterroot Sales and Storage in Victor. The owner said he rented two storage units to the Bentons. On Jan. 26, they looked at gate camera footage that showed a silver Pontiac Grand Prix drive up to the gate on Jan. 19.

The affidavit said Jeromey Benton leaned out the window and entered a code at the gate. A minivan similar to the one parked at Benton's home followed the car into the lot. The camera footage showed it had an empty passenger seat when it drove in and someone sitting there when it drove out.

After obtaining a search warrant, two troopers discovered the Grand Prix in a storage unit.

When confronted about the discovery of the vehicle, the affidavit said Jeromey Benton began to cry and he said he thought he had hit a deer. He admitted not having insurance on the vehicle and said he lied about selling the car because he was scared he would get in trouble.

When the trooper met with Abigail Benton again, she told him she didn't remember what she did on the night of Jan. 19. When the trooper said he saw a video of her driving to the storage units, she didn't say anything. When asked if she helped hide the car because she was afraid of her husband getting in trouble, she indicated yes, according to the affidavit.

Both were arrested Jan. 26.

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